Sabres Goalie Ryan Miller on End of Lockout

BUFFALO, N.Y. - As Western New Yorkers start dusting off their jerseys and get ready for the first NHL face off of the 2013 season, Sabres Goalie Ryan Miller is relieved for the opportunity and the challenge to be back on the ice this year.

"The condensed season will be tough on every team so I hope that our reasonable travel will help us rest and recover," Miller said in a text message to our Adam Benigni Sunday.

"I am assuming we are all healthy including the guys who have been abroad. I hope we can come together and play to our strengths like we did late last year," Miller added. "There won't be a lot of time for finding ourselves. Maybe that is a good thing for our team. Less time to think more time to just play. I am relieved more than anything."

As for the tentative CBA agreement, Miller says that the poor relationship with the league and the lockout alienated local fans and team sponsors.

"It is hard to feel overly happy or satisfied with the result because of the way in which we arrived at an agreement. I am still embarrassed that we players have such a poor relationship with our league as a whole," Miller said. "It is so poor that we wasted 34 games for each club and have alienated our fans and sponsors. An apology doesn't really help right now but I would like to start somewhere with our fans, especially in Buffalo. I am sorry."